After their win over Execration, T1 is now leading the SEA DPC teams.
DPC SEA is one of the most competitive regions in Dota 2. So while teams like T1, BOOm and Fnatic are usually the favorites to win matches, the chances of an upset are high. Today, it was not to be as T1 cruised past Execration 2-0 to win their fourth match of the DPC and top the table. In the post-match interview, T1 Whitemon spoke about the win and gave us some insights into the strongest heroes in the new patch.
T1 always prioritizes the laning phase. They always pick strong laning cores. We need to survive the laning phase.
T1 was dominant right from the onset handing Execration’s Anti Mage two deaths within the first ten minutes. The early deaths meant that Jinn Marrey "Palos" Lamatao could never make a comeback into the match. The networth graph displays the story of the game, as T1 just consolidated its early lead and ultimately converting it into a win.
One of the key picks in the first game was Kuku’s Necrophos. The offlane Necrophos dominated Anti Mage, who despite Abaddon’s heals was just unable to find a decent lane.
In the 7.31 Dota 2 update, Valve made some changes to Necrophos’ ultimate. His ultimate no longer increases the death timer, a mechanic that did not find much support amongst the community. Instead, Valve has now granted Necrophos permanent HP and Mana regen if it gets a kill via Reaper’s Scythe.
The second game saw Kuku pick Necrophos again. It was a slightly more difficult game for him this time with seven deaths. But T1 was able to rally behind Pango and Terrorblade to secure the victory.
Sitting comfortably atop the ranking table, T1 three more matches to play. But things look good for a top three finish, which would guarantee them a slot at the Stockholm Major. On the other hand of the spectrum, Execration with its 0-4 start seems most likely to be out of contention for the Major.
Humility in Dominance
"I don't really think about it being an easy game. We are just going to play our game, we don't really care about the result."
In the post-match interview, Whitemon was gracious in his answer on the win. While T1 dominated the series, T1 Whitemon said, they are just sticking to their plan and perfecting their execution.
“I think Anti Mage is not a hero anymore. Because right now, you want to play fast and Anti Mage needs more items.”
The two games ended in 28 minutes and 34 minutes, but Whitemon says the current meta tilts slightly towards the early game. And as such, some heroes, such as Anti-Mage are not favorable as they require a lot of farm.
T1 will play against Neon Esports next on April 7. With matches against BOOM, Fnatic and NEON remaining, T1 will have to pull out their best strategies in the next few weeks.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Dota 2 news and updates.